Playoffs, Masters on April sports calendar
The NCAA Tournament wraps up and the NBA and NHL postseasons both get underway. Here’s a look at 10 highlights on the April sports calendar, including the Masters at Augusta National and the NFL Draft.
NBA Regular Season (April 1-13)
The NBA’s regular-season schedule comes to an end on Sunday, April 13 with all 30 teams in action as the league’s final playoff spots are claimed. The play-in tournament in both conferences then runs from April 15-18, with the seventh and eighth seeds determined for each bracket. The league’s postseason schedule will then get underway in earnest on April 19 with the NBA Finals set to wrap up by late June.
NHL Regular Season (April 1-17)
The final day of the NHL’s regular-season schedule is Thursday, April 17 with seven games on the slate, including a pair of ESPN matchups as Pittsburgh hosts Washington at 7pm ET and Los Angeles gets a visit from Calgary at 9:30pm ET. The league’s postseason schedule will then get underway that weekend, with the top eight teams in both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference getting playoff berths.
MLB Regular Season (April 1-30)
Early notable April series on the MLB schedule include the Los Angeles Dodgers hosting the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks playing at the New York Yankees, while the first Sunday Night Baseball matchup of the month has the St. Louis Cardinals at the Boston Red Sox. To close out the month the Yankees will face the Orioles at Camden Yards and the Diamondbacks play on the road at the Mets.
CBB NCAA Tournament (April 5-7)
The NCAA Tournament’s Final Four will take place at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, April 5 with the Florida Gators facing the Auburn Tigers in one of the night’s contests and the Duke Blue Devils set to hit the hardwood against the Houston Cougars in the other matchup. The winners of those two games will then move on to meet in the NCAA Tournament’s championship game on Monday, April 7.
F1 Japanese Grand Prix (April 6)
The drivers of Formula 1 will return to the track on Sunday, April 6 for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit. Max Verstappen has won the Japanese Grand Prix in each of the last three seasons, holding off Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz Jr. to claim the victory at the event last year. There are two other F1 races on the April slate, with the Bahrain Grand Prix on April 13 and the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix on April 20.
NASCAR Goodyear 400 (April 6)
The NASCAR Cup Series schedule for the month of April gets started on Sunday, April 6 with the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Brad Keselowski took the checkered flag at this race last year, with Ty Gibbs, Josh Berry, Denny Hamlin, and Chase Briscoe rounding out the top five. The NASCAR slate for April also has the Food City 500 at Bristol on April 13 and the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega on April 27.
The Masters (April 10-13)
Scottie Scheffler will be looking for his third Green Jacket as the top golfers in the world tee off in first-round action at the Masters on Thursday, April 10. Scheffler won this major tournament for the second time in his career in 2024, beating Ludvig Aberg by four strokes and each of Tommy Fleetwood, Max Homa, and Collin Morikawa by seven strokes. Scheffler also picked up a Masters victory back in 2022.
UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes (April 12)
The UFC Featherweight Championship will be on the line at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on Saturday, April 12 as Alexander Volkanovski enters the Octagon against Diego Lopes. Two other featherweight matchups will be on the main card of the event, as Bryce Mitchell takes on Jean Silva and Yair Rodriguez battles Patricio Pitbull. Michael Chandler also meets Paddy Pimblett in a lightweight bout.
2025 WNBA Draft (April 14)
Star UConn point guard Paige Bueckers is expected to be the first overall selection at the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday, April 14. The Dallas Wings hold the first pick in the draft, followed by the Seattle Storm, then two in a row for the Washington Mystics. The expansion Golden State Valkyries hold the fifth overall pick in the 2025 Draft, while the Mystics pick for a third time in the first round at sixth overall.
2025 NFL Draft (April 24-26)
The NFL Draft is a three-day event, with the first round set to take place on Thursday, April 24 and the Tennessee Titans holding the first overall selection followed by the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, New England Patriots, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Top prospects for this year’s draft include Miami QB Cam Ward, Penn State edge Abdul Carter, Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter, and Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders.
With zero championships between his MLB, NHL, and NFL teams over the last 30 years, Dave keeps one foot in the past while shaking his fist at the present. Having provided content to all manner of sports websites over a 20-year career in the industry, Dave brings to Attiq an eye for all things editorial and a disdain for all things New York Yankees. Click here for Dave's posts.
